Ghostbusters director Paul Feig gets his own Funko figure

For many filmmakers, there’s no greater prize than a golden statuette. But this week Paul Feig will receive an even rarer honor when he becomes the first director immortalized as a Funko Pop vinyl figure.

EW has an exclusive first look at the limited-edition figure, which faithfully captures the Ghostbusters helmer’s sharp sartorial style with a pinstriped three-piece suit, black-framed glasses, a vintage umbrella, a pocket watch, and a matching pocket square and tie in Feig’s favorite color, purple.

“As a lifelong geek, to have my own figure made by Funko is literally like getting put on Mount Rushmore as far as I’m concerned,” Feig told EW in a phone interview. “I could not be more excited about it.”

A longtime Funko collector, Feig said he’d always wanted to make a movie with characters that would get the Funko treatment — a goal he realized with Ghostbusters — but he never expected be a figure himself.

“They offered to do it so I’m like, ‘I’m not going to give them any notes whatsoever for fear that I will annoy them and they will decide not to do it,'” Feig recalled. “They honestly could have done me naked and I would have been like, ‘That’s cool, that’s great.'”

A nude figure, however, wouldn’t have done justice to his diehard dandyism. For Feig, wearing a suit isn’t just about looking good — it’s also a matter of professionalism.

“I like to say when you’re the director of a movie, you are the captain of the ship,” he said. “You’re the one who’s calling the shots, and people are working for you. And if I ever got on a ship and the captain was wearing sweatpants and a T-shirt and a baseball cap, I’d be really nervous about that ship.”

Feig continued, “I want to dress the part because I’m in charge and I’m working with amazingly talented people in front of and behind the camera. And to me it’s just a show of respect for their talent and the fact that they’re putting their faith in me.”

There’s another reason you won’t see Feig or his Funko counterpart going casual anytime soon. “I don’t look good in jeans,” he said. “I can make the coolest pair of jeans look like somebody’s mom is wearing them.”

The Paul Feig vinyl figure will be available on the Funko website Friday, the same day Ghostbusters hits theaters.